Getting back in the swing

My first week post-Boston was pretty rough....probably the roughest marathon recovery I've had because of the abuse my quads took. Happily, the second week went much better and it's getting to the point where I actually feel like a runner again.

Monday - Rest. It was a scheduled rest day and a necessary one since my quads are still not happy with life.

Tuesday - 5 miles. This was the big test. Would my quads cooperate, or would I be forced into additional, unplanned rest days? Well, they cooperated. It was slow and there was definitely a lot of stiffness, but it wasn't painful.

Wednesday - 5 miles. Feeling a little better.

Thursday - No run, but I did take the pack test at work. In order to be certified to fight wildland fires or participate in prescribed burns, we are required to pass the pack test annually, which consists of walking 3 miles carrying 45 pounds in under 45 minutes. I had initially planned on taking it as easy as possible and cruising in just under 45 min., but after we started a co-worker took off a good clip and built a big lead on me. My competitive nature took over at halfway and I decided to see if I could reel her in. I did catch up, but didn't pass and finished about 5 seconds back in 39:16. So much for taking it easy.

Friday - 8.3 miles. My hips and ankles were really sore from the pack test, but they didn't bother me too much while running. I also played basketball for the first time since December or January. My hips and ankles didn't appreciate that so much.

Saturday - 6.5 miles. Again, hips and ankles are sore but feel fine while running.

Sunday - 10 miles. My longest run and my fastest paced run since Boston. I purposefully ran a hilly loop just to see how it would go and it ended up going as well as could be expected at this point. By the end, my legs were getting tired, so the endurance definitely isn't all the way back, but the pace is picking up and the stiffness is virtually gone.

Total - 34.8 miles

This coming week is an exciting one, if you're a runner geek like me. First, I scored two awesome shoe deals online last week, so I've got a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers and a pair of Asics Trail Attacks (my first ever trail shoe) that will be arriving this week. Second, I plan on using my Friday off to head into the Black Hills for a long trail run. It's pretty pathetic that I've lived here for three years and have done virtually all of my training on pavement or gravel roads when there are hundreds of miles of trails within 30-45 minutes of my house. I'm using Lean Horse and the Black Hills Trail Series as excuses to finally get out and explore some of those trails. I'm also running a 5K on Mother's Day. I say "running" instead of "racing" because I'll be pushing the kids (a total of about 80 pounds) in the jogging stroller and it will come after back-to-back longish runs on Friday and Saturday. So, yeah, basically I'm doing it for the t-shirt and pancake breakfast (and because my wife already signed me up).